5 places to visit in the Çayıralan district of Yozgat: Akdağlar, Çayıralan Plain and Çayıralan Grand Mosque. Plan your trip to Çayıralan with local food, practical tips and transport information.
Çayıralan is a district of Yozgat province. It lies almost in the middle of Anatolia, in the area where the provincial borders of Sivas, Kayseri and Yozgat meet. Çayıralan sits at the foot of the Akdağlar and is one of the green districts of the Central Anatolia Region.
Geography
The district has an area of 995 km² and an average elevation of 1,359 metres above sea level. Its terrain is generally mountainous: the Akdağlar lie to the east, Gevencik Mountain to the west and Beydağı to the north-west. The rugged land, broken up by valleys, takes on the appearance of gently undulating plains in places.
Vegetation and Forests
Forests of pine, oak and spruce grow in the mountainous areas, where rainfall is heavier.
History
The history of the Çayıralan region dates back to the time of the Dulkadirid Beylik. During the reign of Sultan Alaüddevle Bozkurt Bey (1479–1515), the Kılınç Abdal Zaviye was built in the Akdağ–Çayıralan region. In 1515 the district was incorporated into Ottoman territory, through the Battle of Turnadağ, with the Ottoman army under Sinan Pasha, Beylerbey of Rumelia, on the assignment of Yavuz Sultan Selim Khan. During the Ottoman Empire, a village was founded by the Beğdili Turkmens of the Bozoklar, who were settled on the farm of Çerkez İsa Bey.
Economy
The district’s main economic activities are farming, livestock, beekeeping, trade, nursery growing and the manufacture of forest products. A large part of the population works abroad as gurbetçi (Turkish expatriate workers), mainly in European countries, above all Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and France.
Agricultural Production
Crops grown include wheat, barley, rye, maize, sunflower, chickpeas and alfalfa. Among fruits, apples, pears, cherries, sour cherries, walnuts, apricots and grapes are grown; wild cornelian cherry, linden, thyme and hawthorn grow wild.
Livestock
Cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, water buffalo and rabbits are raised, and freshwater fishing is carried out.
History and Culture
The history of the region goes back to the Dulkadirid Beylik period. The Ottomans ended the beylik and added its lands to their own. Çayıralan was a nahiye (subdistrict) called Çayırşehri, attached to Boğazlıyan. The historic Tuğulhan (Çayırşeyhi) on the Yassı Höyük mound was influential in the adoption of the district’s present name.
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